Of Turkey And Thanksgiving
by E Salvatore
Summary: A Thanksgiving Special filled with fluffy Polivia goodness, Walter and Elizabeth not-so-subtly asking for grandchildren and lots of food. Set in my Christmas AU 'Eggnog' 'verse though a quick glance at the author's note will have you all caught up… somewhat.
1. Chapter 1

**OF TURKEY AND THANKSGIVING**

**Summary : A Thanksgiving Special filled with fluffy Polivia goodness, Walter and Elizabeth not-so-subtly asking for grandchildren and lots of food. Set in my Christmas AU 'Eggnog' 'verse though a quick glance at the author's note will have you all caught up… somewhat. **

**Disclaimer : I am not, in fact, a masochist. I do not enjoy killing off characters I have grown to love. So no, I don't own anything Fringe-related. I don't even have a say in the storyline.**

* * *

**Of Turkey And Thanksgiving**

**One : Thank You, Olivia**

* * *

"'Livia, you done yet?" Peter calls out, senselessly flicking through channels, each playing a variation of the same old holiday offerings. Switching off the TV, he finds himself impatient to get to his parents'.

"Done!" Olivia emerges from their bedroom, securing her usual ponytail with an elastic. Peter gets to his feet and crosses the room to her side, playfully swatting her hand away.

"It's Thanksgiving, sweetheart. Pretty sure you can let your hair down." He grins, one hand tugging lightly at her hair. Olivia crosses her arms and gives him her best stern look, which is pretty good except for the little glint he sees in her eyes.

"You're not going all caveman-dictator on me, are you? Because…" She trails off as he reaches to slide the band out of her hair. "Peter!" She glares at him. Peter settles both hands on her waist and puts on a show of studying her. The familiar furrow in his brow makes an appearance for all of three seconds before he smiles again.

"Beautiful," He declares, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

"Now, come on!" He's moving for the door in the blink of an eye. "Let's have some turkey!"

Even after nearly a year of this… domesticity, she supposes, it still takes a moment for her head to clear up and her breathing to even. When she does, she swipes her keys off the coffee table, where Peter's are missing.

"Hey, _I_'m driving!"

* * *

"Oh, Olive, darling. It's been weeks! You really ought to drop by more often, you know." Elizabeth admonishes gently, gathering Olivia into her arms.

"Sorry, Aunt 'Lizbeth," Olivia smiles, slipping back into the habit of a nervous pre-teen who dropped syllables and shortened names. "You know how work gets… especially now that I have _two _Bishops running around the lab, blowing things up."

Elizabeth laughs shortly while behind her, Peter scoffs. "It was just that one time…" He mutters darkly before stepping up to take Olivia's place.

"Hey, Mom," He smiles brightly as Elizabeth pulls him into a hug. Olivia gives them a moment and wanders off in search of Walter. She finds him watching the parade.

"Hey, Walter," She sits down next to the scientist, taking in the chaos and medley of songs, cheers and floats. They'd managed to talk Walter out of joining the parade this year with a promise to bring him to a less crowded one some other time.

"Olivia!" Walter exclaims, turning his attention from the parade to his companion. "Oh, how lovely of you to come. Have you seen the turkey? Elizabeth won't let me into the kitchen today." Olivia smiles, stifling a laugh. Walter's fondness for 'secret ingredients' is well-known and generally avoided on major holidays.

"No, I haven't. Peter's here, though."

"Oh, Peter!" Walter nearly squeals, giddy at the prospect of seeing the son he last saw yesterday. As if on cue, Peter and Elizabeth join them, with Elizabeth pausing only to tell them that dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Does she need help?" Olivia asks Peter, already getting to her feet. Peter makes his way to her and gently pushes her back down.

"Mom's fine, Liv. You know how she gets about Thanksgiving." She does know, in fact. Elizabeth usually welcomes help in her kitchen at all times, but every Thanksgiving, she gets almost obsessive. Nothing can be messed with, everything has an order and all dishes must be in their right places. Everyone's teased her about it at some point but the fact remains that no one in their right mind would mess with Elizabeth Bishop's kitchen on the third Thursday of any November.

Olivia shrugs and settles back into her seat, Peter sitting in between her and Walter. One hand curls around her waist as she ever-so-slightly leans into him, head resting on his shoulder. She can almost feel Walter watching them out of the corner of his eye and hopes that just this once, he'll be distracted enough to keep his thoughts on their intimacy to himself.

They sit in silence until Elizabeth announces dinner time and as Olivia lets Peter pull her up, she finds herself thankful for little miracles.

* * *

It's just the four of them as they sit down for dinner, but with the Bishop boys somehow having gotten into a spirited debate over one thing or another on their way to the table, the dining room feels lively and full.

Olivia listens just long enough to make sure that the conversation is still civil before leaving them to their own devices as she joins Elizabeth who passes serving plate after serving plate of warm dishes to her. Between the two of them, they make three rounds each carrying food from the kitchen to the table.

All is abruptly silent as Elizabeth walks in with the turkey and they get seated. Somewhere in between them bringing the food and Walter contradicting him, Peter had managed to pour four glasses of wine, one of which Walter grips in his hand as he stands up to deliver some predictably random speech.

"Let us celebrate Thanksgiving and always remember those poor, poor souls who do not get to enjoy this wonderful family tradition…" He pauses for added suspense and everyone else is quite certain he's talking about orphans or those less fortunate.

"Vegetarians."

There is a collective groan amongst his audience of three though it's quickly masked up as laughter. Satisfied, Walter nods and continues.

"This year, I am thankful, as usual, for family. My Elizabeth, who has always been by my side, Peter, who has come back to us after ten long years and Olivia, wonderful Olive who has brought Peter back to us and is now, more than ever, a part of the family." Olivia's eyes drop down to study her plate as a blush threatens to flood her cheek. A small smile plays on her lips though it's more out of embarrassment than anything else.

A hand moves under her jaw and tips her face up. She finds herself face to face with a smiling Peter, eyes bright and almost… proud? She doesn't get a chance to decipher his emotions before he leans in for a chaste kiss. Olivia pulls back almost immediately, cheeks flaming even as she shares a smile with Peter. When she finally gathers her nerve to look at the others, she finds a smiling Elizabeth with one hand in Walter's, who seems to be wiping a tear from his cheek. She laughs under her breath.

After a moment to collect himself, Walter goes on: "I am thankful for friends like Astro and Gene, who unfortunately could not join us today." Peter and Olivia share a look at the memory of Walter trying to convince them that Gene should be allowed to join them today.

"And I am thankful for this wonderful meal which we should best consume while still warm. _Bon appetit_, family!" He eagerly sits down and reaches for the mashed potatoes before Elizabeth holds out a hand to halt him.

"Walter, maybe the rest of us could share what we're thankful for?" Elizabeth suggests mildly, an amused smile on her face. Walters stares blankly at her for all of two seconds before retreating with an exclaimed 'oh!'.

"Mom, why don't you go first?" Peter suggests with a grin, mind racing to sort through his thoughts. He's never been good at this whole family-Thanksgiving thing and it's been ten years, so he's a little out of practice. He feels a slight twinge of guilt for that, picturing ten quiet Thanksgivings with somber parents and Olivia braving the weather to join them in his place, each of the three impossibly aware of a missing family member. That's the picture Olivia had reluctantly painted for him when he had asked her for details on the Thanksgivings he'd missed.

"Well," Elizabeth smiles, remaining seated. "I am thankful for a good year, in which Walter has seemed much happier." She smiles lovingly at a beaming Walter. "And I am thankful for having my son back." Peter bows his head slightly but maintains eye contact with his mother. "It is so wonderful to have you back where you belong, Peter."

Under the table, Olivia squeezes his hand lightly as a memory of a night long gone is brought to mind.

_I don't know where I belong anymore, Olivia_.

_You belong with me_.

"And I am thankful," Elizabeth continues, unaware of their little moment, and Peter subtly exhales in relief as his mother leaves the subject of his absence at that. "For Olivia, who not only remains a part of our family years later, but has reunited us all and brought so much joy to this home over the years." Olivia, still blushing slightly, smiles at Elizabeth.

After a moment of silence, Peter realizes he's up next. Thankfully, his father saves him from essentially repeating his parents' speeches.

"Oh, I forgot something!" Walter exclaims, shooting to his feet. His chair makes an awful scraping sound against the hardwood floor as he does, but Walter seems to take no notice as he clears his throat.

"I am also thankful for Peter and Olivia finally being together the way we all knew you would end up, and for giving Elizabeth and I a chance of having grandchildren soon." Satisfied, Walter reseats himself as Olivia emits a strangled sound, drawing attention to her wide-eyed expression.

"No pressure at all, Walter." Peter comments dryly before turning to face Olivia, who seems to be slowly collecting herself. Tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ears, he leans in so that only she can hear him.

"You okay there, sweetheart?" He murmurs, eyes searching hers. Olivia smiles slightly and nods.

"Yeah, just taken by surprise, I'm fine." She reassures him. "You're up, Bishop." She teases him.

"Actually, if we're going in order, it's your turn, 'Livia." He smirks. An awkwardly cleared throat draws them back to the present before she can come up with a retort. Their eyes land on Walter, the source of the noise, as he urges them to go on with an urgent motion of his hand.

"Umm…" Peter starts, uncertain. Then, in a fit of nerves and inspiration, he quickly delivers a joint statement. "Liv and I are thankful for family and each other and this meal. Happy Thanksgiving!"

It isn't until Olivia grips his hand tightly that he realizes what he's just said, or rather, what he's just done. A quick glance reveals beaming, proud parents with bright smiles and teary eyes. He suppresses a groan; his parents seem more invested in their relationship than the both of them.

"Okay, can we eat now?" He comes dangerously close to whining, setting off a round of laughter even as Walter stands up to carve the turkey and side dishes are served and passed.

He catches his parents observing every single interaction he has with Olivia throughout the entire meal.

* * *

Hours later, once most of the food has been consumed and not even Walter seems to be capable of another bite, Peter and Olivia take it upon themselves to clean out the table and the dishes while ordering Elizabeth to get some rest. It takes some persuasion but finally, she reluctantly makes her way to the living room to join Walter.

Peter enters the kitchen carrying the last of the dishes and finds Olivia by the sink. "I wash, you dry." She informs him, throwing a dishtowel his way. They work in silence for a while, Peter occasionally humming a Christmas tune to elicit Olivia's amused chuckle.

"You know, Christmas is just a month away." He states after whistling a few bars of _Jingle Bells_. Olivia keeps her eyes focused on the dishes, a smile permanently lighting up her face.

"Any special plans, Bishop?" She asks with admirable indifference.

"Oh, I don't know." Peter leans against the kitchen counter, making quick work of the dishes. "See, there's this girl I usually see every Christmas. I take days off, have a road trip in the middle of winter and go to see her."

"Sounds like a lot of trouble for just a girl." Olivia casually comments, rinsing out the last of the dishes. Turning off the water, she turns to lean against the counter and mimics Peter's pose, arms loosely crossed.

"Yeah, but she's not just a girl, you see." Peter makes a show of drying the last plate, eyes purposely kept from Olivia's as he waits for her to prompt him. She gives in.

"Oh?"

Setting the damp towel on top of a pile of clean plates, Peter moves towards her, a grin playing on his lips as his hands find her waist. "Yeah, I'm kinda in love with her."

Leaning in to close the distance between them, a stray Walter wondering into the kitchen goes unnoticed. "Oh!" He squeaks when he realizes what he's walked in on. "Oh." Peter and Olivia quickly put some distance between them as they watch Walter awkwardly perusing the leftovers, presumably looking for more pie.

"Don't mind me, you lovebirds." He grins. "Don't stop on my account!"

With a triumphant 'aha!' as he picks up the entire dish of remaining pie, Walter exits the kitchen as swiftly as he had entered it.

After a beat of silence, Olivia turns to Peter. "That was…"

Peter nods. "Ladies and gentlemen," He says dryly.

"My father."

* * *

"Oh, Elizabeth, you wouldn't believe what I've just seen!" Walter announces, bouncing into the living room.

"Oh, Walter," Elizabeth sighs, eyes still on the television screen. "Give them some privacy, love."

"But…"

Turning slightly to face the speechless scientist, Elizabeth smiles and steals a forkful of pie. "You _do _want grandchildren, don't you?"

* * *

**Senseless, plotless, pointless fluff. Yes, this is what I have sunk to in my desperate need for a Polivia fix. Now if the show would just give us our freaking shipper moments, then none of you would have been subjected to this aimless rambling!**

**But since they refuse to, stay tuned for another installment. I need to console myself with lots and lots of fluff to make up for the three week hiatus. Oh, and for some Etta-rambling (with considerably less fluff and more realistic angst), check out my other Thanksgiving piece, _Parade._**

**I know I'm digging a deeper hole for myself here, adding another story to this AU series of mine without clueing you in on the history, but all in good time, my Fringies. 2013 will be the year of backstory, I promise. I will finally explain everything. In the meantime, just know that certain events in the late '80s caused Olivia to move to Boston with the Bishops where they raised her alongside Peter, though these two never formed a sibling bond. It was more of a best-friends-turned-flirt-buddies thing.**

**Don't forget to review and tell me about your Thanksgiving!**

_**E Salvatore,**_

_**November 2012.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Turkey And Thanksgiving**

**Two : Surprise, Peter!**

* * *

It's getting dark and cold. Peter had gotten a fire going twenty minutes ago, and now the four of them are sitting down in peaceful silence, sipping ginger ale. Well, there had been four of them earlier; Olivia had excused herself, presumably for a bathroom break.

"How is the house-hunting going, Peter?" His mom asks him as he studies the pictures on the mantelpiece. There's a picture of his parent's wedding, and one of them on vacation, but the rest are mostly of Peter and Olivia in varying stages of their childhood.

"Slowly." Peter shrugs, smiling as Olivia returns to take her spot next to him. At his mother's questioning gaze, he nudges Olivia's shoulder. "This one here," He grins as she turns to face him, "is kind of picky."

"Hey!" Olivia protests even though her eyes are bright with mirth. "I'm not picky. He just keeps suggesting the weirdest places. Besides, we're in no hurry, so why rush into anything?"

Walter speaks up from his spot in front of the TV that's playing old Spongebob reruns. "Well, I suppose the apartment is certainly more than enough for the two of you, dear. But what about a nursery?"

As Peter observes her, Olivia's eyes grow wide, as if alarmed. He takes her hand in his own; they've talked about this and agreed on what they want. Besides, this is nothing new from Walter. In fact, it's a whole lot more subtle and preferable than his efforts to drug their coffee and lock them up in the office together.

"Hence the house-hunting," He smiles, sharing, for the first time, with his parents their intention to start a family. Elizabeth smiles brightly while Walter is less reserved, clapping his hands in glee.

"Oh, this is wonderful news, Peter! Wonderful!" He grins, almost laughing in glee. "I'm sure we can clean out the guest room, in fact I'll just go-" Walter gets up and starts wandering towards the guest room. Peter, watching in amusement from his spot on the ground, calls out for his father.

"Walter, what are you doing?"

"Well, you and Olivia both have rooms here, and we have plenty of space. I'm sure we could find space for a nursery somewhere, and I'll learn to keep my inventions-"

"Walter," Peter cuts him off mid-sentence. "Walter, we're not moving in." He says with a laugh in his voice that quickly dies once he catches sight of Walter's crestfallen expression.

"But we have so much space, and it gets so lonely around here." Elizabeth stands up and guides Walter to the couch, sitting down next to him.

"Walter, they're grown-ups, now. They have their own lives and they need their space. We can't just ask them to move back in and start a family here."

"Besides, aren't we getting ahead of ourselves, here? There isn't even a baby yet." Peter throws in. Olivia chokes on her drink, prompting Peter to lightly hit her back a couple of times.

"I'm fine," She says hoarsely. "Just choked." Peter eyes her questioningly for two seconds before nodding and pulling her closer to his side. Walter breaks the silence with a loud, exaggerated yawn.

"Time for bed, Walter." Elizabeth smiles, prying his mug from his hands and putting it away. "Come along now, you've had a big day."

"Good night, Walter." Peter smiles at his father. Olivia echoes his sentiments as everyone exchanges good-nights. Elizabeth guides Walter to the stairs but stops just short of the first step.

"Oh, and Peter, I only had time to set up Olivia's room. Is that alright?" She asks with a cheeky grin. Peter suppresses the urge to roll his eyes at his mother's attempt at subtlety.

"That's fine, Mom. Good night."

Elizabeth nods and with one last smile, she and Walter make their way upstairs, leaving Peter and Olivia alone.

He holds Olivia tight and murmurs in her ear even though he doesn't have to. "Remember the last time we sat here together?"

"Hmm," Olivia hums contentedly, moving to rest her head against his shoulder. "Christmas." She says softly with a reminiscent smile.

"That was one hell of a Christmas." Peter states, one hand running through her hair.

"Because we made out here like a couple of teenagers?" Olivia teases, eyes drifting close.

"Well, that was great too, but I was thinking more about the part where you finally got it through your thick head that I love you." He grins as she pulls away and sits up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"I love you too," She reminds him as he pulls her in for the kiss they've been wanting all day long. Her hand travel from his neck to his hair, fingers nestling in his curls. He pulls her closer until she's practically in his lap and when they pull apart, they're both breathless and dazed.

Disentangling herself from him, Olivia stands up and holds out a hand to him. Peter lets her pull him to his feet and lead him upstairs, into her childhood bedroom where so much has happened. As he closes the door behind him, Olivia tugs on the hand she's still holding and pulls him into bed.

When she has him flat on his back with her hovering above him, he has a pretty good idea of what to expect. But then she tucks her hair behind her ear and smiles.

"I was going to wait until we got home to tell you." She confesses, and he's officially lost.

"Tell me what?" He smiles, brushing back stray locks of golden hair. She catches his hand and presses it against her cheek, keeping it in place with her own as she leans into his touch, eyes closed with a smile on her face. He's never seen her look so serene, at peace and happy.

When she opens her eyes, they're bright and sparkling even though he detects a hint of doubt in the very back of her green irises.

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as if bracing herself for something big. And then she looks him square in the eyes and speaks the second best three words he's ever heard, after _I love you_.

"Peter, I'm pregnant."

* * *

**~ HAPPY THANKSGIVING! ~**

* * *

**Well, there you have it: one Polivia baby, coming right up! That's another thing to be thankful for. Well, it might take a while but yes, Etta is now here in my AU. And you can bet your Fringe-lovin' hearts that I plan on keeping her around for a long, long time once she gets here.**

**So, that's it for now, Fringies. I'll see you at Christmas, I guess. Pregnant Olivia! Festive flirting! Spiked eggnog (for everyone else)! This is so exciting!**

**Wait, is it? Exciting? I'm hyper and excited by everything right now so… you tell me. Caffeine!**

**Happy Thanksgiving and if you're courageous enough to brave Black Friday, stay safe, lovelies!**

_**E Salvatore, **_

_**November 2012.**_


End file.
